to kind of touch upon just a reminder for those of you who maybe have read this story several times before, as the Apostle Paul was ministering and working his way through parts of the world, and God is using him and blessing him. He comes to this particular place in Philippi, and there was opposition and resistance because of the gospel being presented, and he ends up in jail with Silas. And as a result, in the middle of the night they begin singing praises to God and are talking about the Lord and Scripture, and all of a sudden, an earthquake comes, and the prison walls begin to crumble, and of course the Philippian jailer is obviously thinking that all the prisoners have escaped, and he's ready to take his life because he realizes that that's the consequence of losing your prisoner. And then we start in verse 29, I'll pick up and read.
Then the jailer called for lights rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, sirs, what must I do to be saved? They replied, believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.
At that hour of the night, the jailer took them, washed their wounds, then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them. He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God, he and his whole family. Let's pray.
Father, we are humbled by the reality that you are always at work to reach all of humanity, and yet in our witness and testimony of life, we don't always recognize or see all that you are doing. But we do know one thing. There was a time, a place, a point in our lives that you truly ministered to our hearts. You brought us the glorious blessing of salvation, and many of us can testify, whether it was one of us or the other in our family.
It has affected our whole family. We thank you for that joy that you have placed in our hearts. We thank you for the peace, the assurance of knowing you, and we are so grateful for all that you've done and what you will continue to do in our lives. We commit ourselves to you today once again, and pray for your favor to end blessing to rest upon us in Jesus' name.
Amen. In verse 34, particularly, I want to read that again, the jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them. He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God, he and his whole family. Joy filled his family because he had come to believe.
Coming to faith in Jesus Christ as many of us are well aware, changes so many things, and some of those things are almost instantaneous. Some of those are like almost automatically granted to us. But one thing is certain, we experience this peace, this joy, as inner settling begins to take place, and often our joy begins to fill our lives in so many ways. It's amazing how that's simply coming to a place in which we are keenly aware of what Jesus Christ has done for us and what he promises to do in our lives, that it brings this joy that begins to begin to do its great work in our lives.
And it shows up in so many different areas. Some of this joy is quite understandable, and some of it is entirely a miracle. To some of us, we might experience more of the miraculous presence of God that just fills us and carries us through a season in our life. Others are well aware that it's slow by slow, inch by inch, this joy begins to deepen, it begins to strengthen, it becomes a living reality in our lives.
Certainly when we study the context or look at the way in which God has promised to do that joy is the Spirit of God promises to bear fruit in our lives as we come to believe, and love and joy are the leading evidences of God's Spirit at work in our life. Love and joy will become some of those first expressions of this newfound faith. I trust that we can remember those seasons in life. I trust that we can somewhat recall the times that that joy and that love began to formulate and fashion itself in our lives.
I trust we're well aware of so many things that have changed in our life because we have come to believe. Joy is, first of all, when we think about this, is joy is a blessing and a gift that comes from God as a gift of having put our faith and trust in Him. It's certainly associated with our new love for the Lord Himself. When you and I begin to be aware of more a little bit about who God is and what God is like and what God has promised to us, this new life is going to give you a joy of knowing that I have found Him.
And because we have found Him, we begin to experience Him. This joy is God's gift. It's knowing that He really does love us. It's knowing that He really does care for us.
It's knowing that He has forgiven us of all our sin. It's knowing that the promises are many and many and many and they are yes and amen in Jesus Christ. Joy comes because we begin to know what life is really about. What's important?
Joy comes because I know today I'm okay. Regardless, sometimes of the circumstances or challenges of life, it's amazing the testimonies that people will share about this beginning experience, the fruit and blessing of this joy that begins to rest upon us when we come to believe. We put our trust and faith. Our faith and trust, as small as it may be in the beginning of our relationship with Christ, we find an abiding peace and a joy that rests deep within our hearts.
A second thing we consider is joy also is associated with a shift in our priorities. Many of us can clearly recall. There were some things so important to us. Then we come to faith and now there's a new kind of priority.
And some of those first things that were so important to us really don't matter anymore. It's joy knowing that our priorities have begun to shift in a way that it's so much more meaningful and so much more rewarding in life. There were certain pleasures that were so important to us. There were certain entertainment.
There were certain desires for success or status. There were things and more things and more things that were so important to us. These begin to change because joy has filled us in places and ways that we can never fully go on listing. Those things that were so dear to us.
It's joy that comes and gives life a new meaning to us. Joy also is associated with a transition of moving from being about me to him. One of the great pleasures in life is realizing that God can take care of the me when I allow myself to be focused on him. Jesus clearly came to serve.
By not being served. He gave his life away and our faith in Jesus brings joy now in giving ourselves away. It's amazing when we begin to come to faith and our lives begin to have this relationship with Christ that the need to keep is no longer the priority. It's about giving and now we find pleasure in serving.
We find pleasure in giving. We find pleasure in expending ourselves for someone else's happiness. It's rather fascinating to consider how many and so many areas change and how they can occur so quickly simply because God has granted us this blessing of joy. As soon as we humbly come to the cross of Jesus Christ, the question we ought to ask this morning is do we still have the glow of God's glory?
Do we still have the first fruits of the evidences of joy in our life? Because I believe it's important that we realize that as great as the richness of that joy is that comes through relationship with Jesus Christ. Sometimes many times we go through seasons where the joy just seems to have diminished. It seems to have faded.
It seems has lost its rich beauty and therefore our testimonies change. Our stories change. The direction of our lives change. When we think of the book of Acts, we are constantly reminded about a people that were being moved and led by God and the story just unfolds from chapter to chapter about a people whose lives were so changed that this church, this new church had truly changed the world.
Here are several things that I think we ought to consider that can rob us of joy and I trust that we might easily be able to see that these things that can take us away, there is these things that can bring us back. It's important to understand in our relationship with God that none of us are exempt from the challenges that are all of us face. None of us are exempt from the fact that we can lose that glow and that sweet presence in the relationship with God. I believe it's good to humbly consider not only because they are common but they are also the beauty of the secrets of a relationship that can again be restored and that joy of Christ can come back into our lives.
One of the first things I want to touch upon is found in Mark's Gospel in chapter 4. If you like to turn with me, turn to Mark chapter 4. We'll look at verses 15 down through 19. Many of us again are familiar with these scriptures and that's one thing that tends to take place in the lives of us as we've been walking with the Lord a while is because sometimes our knowledge seems to get ahead of where our relationship may really be at or maintain.
And so it's a challenge when we talk about that inner peace and joy that God gives as we understand that where we're at today is often the determining factor of our joy versus where we ought to be is sometimes when we get the knowledge ahead of that it kind of creates an unsettledness in the heart. If you and I know we ought to be say here spiritually speaking but we're really down here it's really hard to keep a smile on your face and a smile in your heart at the same time. Mark chapter 4 verses 15 through 19. Now some people are like seed along the paths where the word is sown as soon as they hear it Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them others like seed sown on rocky places they hear the word and it wants receive it with joy but since they have no root they last only a short time when trouble or persecution comes because of the word they quickly fall away still others like seed sown among the thorns hear the word but the worries of this life the deceitfulness of wealth the desires for other things come in and choke the word making it un-fruitful.
Our faith comes in seed form and God's purpose and plan is that you and I are continually growing and maturing and ultimately bearing fruit and one way that you and I can lose our joy is because as we come within this beautiful rich relationship with Christ where most of us are well aware when we came to faith we literally would sell everything to buy that treasure that field. We can all point back to times in our life that we literally would give everything and anything for that relationship and when you and I go through life and we experience the reality of all of the things that come against us. We begin to sometimes find ourselves influenced in one way or another and we lose that yearning and longing and the joy begins to fade. Sometimes we don't have to try to do anything that's contrary to the word of God.
Sometimes we don't have to try to add anything that's unnecessary in life. It's just the reality of a real enemy constantly at work manipulating and moving and interacting in our lives that we need to realize growth is challenging. Growth is difficult at times. To stay in a relationship that is constantly growing always is something Satan is against.
If he can get us the plateau, if he can get us to stop, if he can get us away from that ongoing relationship that's growing and maturing you and I are going to lose a certain element of joy. Much of our joy in the beginning gave us a hunger for God. It gave us a love for God. It gave us a passion and usually one indication when the joy is beginning to fade is the excitement about the things of God just plain begins to take a big dip in our life.
We need to be aware that you and I don't necessarily have to do anything wrong. You and I don't have to intentionally try to get away from God. It's just one of those realities that until growth is a continuous norm in our lives there's going to be often times when that joy begins to fade. A second thing we might want to consider is is referred to in 2 Corinthians 11 and verse 3.
It may not seem to be a whole lot different than the last point we just looked at but we'll still touch upon it again because this verse was given to me as I was reading a book about the title is called Jesus Pure and Simple. 2 Corinthians 11 and verse 3. Again we recognize we have an enemy. He's sharp, he's slick and he's after your passion but I'm afraid in verse 3 that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
If there's anything that's evident of a real relationship with Christ is it starts out real simple and your heart is pure. You are ready to grow, you are ready to learn, you are literally willing to come without any reservations and say Jesus it's all about you but somehow the devil wants to complicate things somehow he wants to get in there and pull you away from this childlike faith that's just pure and simple. He obviously works in ways and sometimes our joy begins to diminish because our faith isn't so pure and simple. We can get busy in life, we can find ourselves drawn here and sort a well with life that the purity and the simple devotion many times we realize that when life gets busy and we have all these demands our devotion life begins to fade.
We lose the sweetness that longing the excitement of spending time along with God and the joy begins to fade. A third thing that maybe we want to consider is some of us might feel like a joke in all of our willingness to be faithful to God and our diligence to be a servant of God. We are committed to living for him and then some kind of tragedy comes into your life, some kind of shock that really messes with your faith system. Some of us we may have been faithful and attempting to live for God and then we end up losing a loved one or we end up going through some hardship in life that's not supposed to fit this life of blessing that God has seemingly promised.
Soon we get to the places where we're questioning the promises of God, we're questioning the faithfulness of God, we're questioning so many things about God. That's it'll take your joy. When sometimes we don't know which way to look or which way to turn, we know in Job's case that even his wife gave him bad advice and his closest friends added to it. There's nothing worse than feeling like you've tried to do what you're supposed to do and it's not working anymore.
These can obviously damage our joy in the Lord. Some of us have experienced problems in our relationships. Some of our closest people that we have been close to, dear to, we love and all of a sudden some kind of tension comes. When there's tensions in friendships and co-workers and neighbors, whether it's somebody in your own family, whether it's a relative of some or whatever, or maybe it's a member in the church, that tension will take us and rob us of joy.
Possibly it's because God is at work in our life and he's leading that agitation because he teaches us if you come to the altar to bring your offering and they'll remember that your brother has something against you. You should lead your gift at the altar and go be reconciled to your brother and then come and bring back. Joy seems to diminish when relationships are not the way they ought to be. The challenges that we often face in life can go on and on because things are just not right.
They're not quite settled. They're not quite at peace in our heart. One more thing I want to touch upon is some of us may have picked up a virus of some type, spiritually speaking. Life has lots of contaminants.
It has a lot of impurities which can affect our spiritual immune system. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 7 and we'll read verse 1. 2 Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 1. Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Probably one of the most detrimental factors in our lives is that sin is pretty subtle. And though we know that there are sins that are getting trouble almost instantaneously, there are a lot of things that come in very slowly and they creep into your system like the common cold. There's things that creep into your life like viruses that you don't really know the origin, the source. You can't pinpoint how they begin to happen, but you and I need to be aware when your heart's not in the right place, your joy begins to fade.
It becomes evident to us that something's out of line, something's out of whack, something's just not right, something is missing, something is lacking. And quite often because we journey through life and we are not always attuned to what is happening spiritually speaking, we just know that this love we had for Jesus Christ and this passion to stay close to Him and walk with Him just isn't quite like it once was. Oh quite often we've heard someone gets saved, someone comes to faith and we see them all excited and they're ready to turn the world upside down for Jesus Christ and those of us been walking with the Lord of the house to give them a few weeks, give them a few months, they'll settle down, they'll get right along with the rest of us without as much joy. There may be some truth to the the beginning stages of that joy that might be a little bit untamed, it might be a little bit young and wild and crazy, but I trust that we realize not all of it's wild and crazy, some of it is a pure gift of God and you and I can have a joy that continues to carry us through.
Well there's two key scriptures that come to my mind and this is primarily what we ought to focus on most importantly is what do you do? What can we do with the joy that we once had with Christ? What can we do if the relationship is not so rich and meaningful? What happens when the family that came to faith is struggling now to cherish the faith?
The first scripture that comes with my mind is in Matthew chapter 11 verse 28. Matthew chapter 11 and verse 28. Matthew 11, 28. Come to me all you who are weary and burdened or heavy laden and I will give you rest.
I think one of the misleading things that may happen sometimes when our joy diminishes because the sweetness of that initial relationship isn't as sweet as it once was is we have a tendency if we can't really pinpoint what the problem is we tend to try to do things to supplement that joy and sometimes we get busier trying to do something that might make us feel a little better so the joy would come and sometimes we put extra burdens on ourselves to supplement what can only happen by coming to Jesus Christ. Jesus is well aware that life is, it wears on us. He is well aware that the burdens of life put stress upon us. He is well aware that you and I may not feel as if this relationship is as meaningful and as sighted as it once was.
He is well aware of that and his answer is not so much to get us to become busier it's to get us to come to a place where we can receive his rest. Sometimes we may go on retreats to get away to find ourselves refuelled and that might work for a while but the beauty is that Jesus has invited us not to come once not to come just twice but to come to a place where we can constantly find replenishment and refreshing experiences with himself. The important thing is to realize it was Jesus we came to in a simple and pure faith that gave us the joy in the first place and it's the same Jesus who is the same yesterday today and forever and he can give us that same resting place in our lives even today. He's the one that's invited us to come to him when we're weary we're wore out we're stressed we come to him and he will give us rest.
A second verse is in Acts chapter three and verse 19. Acts chapter three and verse 19. I think it's hard as Christians well let me read this verse this first please and then we'll come back to it. Acts chapter three and verse 19.
Repent then turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out and that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. There's time that maybe sin becomes a little bit more evidence in the awareness of what's happening in our heart and it's not so much that we are wore out being weary with the issues of life it's not so much that we have indulged or reached into sinful areas that are clearly in the big sin box but we also know what it's like to have simply lost this love relationship with Christ and maybe the flavoring of life is those questionable gray areas of sin. The important thing is that however you package or identify the sin the solution is the same whether it's a big one or it's a little one whether it's a white lie or it's a big lie whether it is just a loss of your commitment to God or it's simply that you have allowed yourself to shift to the left to the right the important thing is Jesus invites us once again he invites us to come he invites us to repent he invites us to pour out our hearts and the blessing whether it's rest or times of refreshing either way there's the secret to the joy that comes back to our life it's so important to realize that that gift of joy though that gift is still there for every one of us sometimes we need to realize that God has not left us God has not gone anywhere God has not changed the promises that he has for us he simply has brought us two times in life we need to realize we just need a replenishment of our spiritual connection with him we need once again to be filled again with the sweetness of his holy spirit so that love and joy might return back to our hearts it's for you and it's for your whole family that's the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ that's the beauty of the life he wants to give to us it's the beauty of coming to a place we say Lord I want to come once again with a pure and simple devotion to Jesus Christ there's the joy and I trust that we as a church might constantly learn how to be able to be vulnerable and yet receptive for more and more of God maybe the worship team can come back and lead us in a song and I just trust that as God moves in your heart whether you want to come to the altar or you want to be just still in wherever your city but allow your heart to be open and say Lord if my joy is not here give me a refreshing moment once again bless once again let your spirit rest and may we simply drink and receive she has the song will come to the altar if you could put that one up thank you Joshua